A Changeling's Legacyby DeltaFlameChaptersChapter One - New BeginningChapter Two - Return to CanterlotChapter Three - Calm Before The StormChapter Four - Getting the MareChapter Five - Destiny is CallingChapter One - New BeginningA spiraling landscape. He felt a sharp pain coursing through his whole body. And then, black. No more pain. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • His name was Echo, and he had just been tossed over a hundred miles from the preceding shockwave caused by the magical love of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Echo was one of the many changeling warriors that Queen Chrysalis had used to fight for her in her attempt to overthrow Canterlot's throne. He had his occasional doubts before, but now, thanks to this humiliating defeat, he was sure. Echo wanted to be free to live his own life, instead of being one of the Queen's expendable soldiers. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • When he woke up again several hours later, the pain had returned, but it was more bearable than earlier. He then stood up on his hole-filled hooves slowly, making a great effort to stand properly, and looked around his environment, half-dazed from his impact. As his vision finally came into view, his heart broke; he saw his teammates scattered about the area for possibly miles, limbs all twitching like that of squished bugs. Some of them were also starting to awaken at the same time he was, but the others were still mostly unconscious. Others, mostly the weaker, smaller ones, weren't moving at all. And yet, through all of this horrific scenery, the defeated Queen was nowhere to be found. The only evidence that she was there at all was a crater slightly larger than any of the changelings. Echo then noticed one of his few friends, a changeling commander named Static, and hobbled weakly over to him, helping him up while being careful not to do so too quickly to avoid harming any fractures or broken bones he might have. "Wha.... what.. happened?" Static asked his long-time friend in a daze, hardly even able to stand on his own. "We... failed... we failed our Queen..." Echo replied, all hope gone in his voice. They held each other for a brief moment, grateful that the other was mostly unharmed and alive. Then Echo looked at the ground, a somewhat angry expression plastered on his face. "Wait... this... no..." Echo continued, after thinking a bit. "We didn't fail her... SHE failed US." "What do you mean, Echo?" Static asked him in sheer disbelief and worry. "We should've fought much harder to protect her, its our fault." "No, its much more than that, don't you get it, Static? This has nothing to do with us... we are just like.... ants, mindlessly working for our queen without question, and there are always, ALWAYS more workers to cover any casualties or losses. We're worthless as individuals, to her... we don't even EXIST as individual changelings with dreams and lives, we're just tools for her greed and wrath. And now look what we are... she abandoned us, her 'faithful servants'. That's all we ever were to her, and now we have nothing. The Uprising is disbanded. It's time to move on, we might as well, as long as SHE has." "But..." Static tried to interrupt, at a loss as to why Echo was suddenly so rebellious against the Queen, who was looked upon as a sort of mother-figure for the changeling horde. "Think about it," Echo continued, "We changelings all look almost exactly the same, haven't you never noticed that? We're not ever recognized as individuals, and its time we started becoming the changelings WE want to be. The ponies we saw in Canterlot were so different from eachother, so unique, and they still got along with their differences and lived happy lives. I know this because, before our attack, I was part of the tactical team that gathered as much information about the ponies as possible. ...I just feel like I would like to be unique like that someday. Is that so wrong?" Echo was completely fed-up with the desolate, conformist life that he had; it was time to start over, and there was no better time than now. Static, however, didn't exactly feel the same way. "No, we can... we'll find her, we... I...." Starting to break down in tears of despair, he knew that Echo was right, but Static didn't want to admit it. Echo held on to his friend in comfort and understanding as he thought up an idea. "...Come with me, let's get out of here, out of the Hive. Let's go and live our own lives. We won't have any remorseless tyrant telling us what to do, won't that be wonderful?" He asked Static, with hope finally returning in his eyes. "........No. I.... I can't... I just can't. I'm loyal to the Queen. Just... go on your own, I'll be fine. ....Go." Static replied solemnly, but with a sure tone in his voice. Echo looked at his friend in sadness, feeling hopeless once more. "Are you sure? ....Well.... f... fine. I'll just... go... on my own... goodbye... Static..." Echo turned to walk away, but quickly felt a hoof on his shoulder. Static told at him with a smile as Echo looked back, "You'll be great, Echo. Get out there, into the world. I know you'll do great things. Maybe we'll see eachother again someday. Now go." Static smiled as he also turned back, going to the other recovering changelings to help them up. Echo smiled back and turned to face the wide world ahead of him. "This," he thought, "is the first step to a new life." He took a single step forward, and then walked on into the vast and diverse landscape ahead. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Meanwhile, A rather thin white mare with a long pink mane, known as Fleur de Lis, was helping in the effort to clean up the city of Canterlot with her magic after the attempted Uprising. Everypony was doing their part: Repairing buildings, disposing of rubble, cleaning the cacoon-forming goo off of the streets, walls, and ceilings of rooms in almost every building. However, being a more high-class pony, she put as much effort as she could to avoid getting dirty. She did not know it yet, but her life as she knew it was about to be changed forever, thanks to the unlikely creature that was currently (and unknowingly) heading toward Canterlot Castle. Chapter Two - Return to CanterlotEcho was well on his way to a new life. With a long journey ahead of him, he had a lot of time to sort out his thoughts about recent events. The Uprising, the defeat, the missing Queen, his uncertain future of his friendship with Static, and his plans for his future life as a free changeling. After a while, he got bored and started to think of songs and make up lyrics to them in his head, occasionally singing them out loud in a terrible key; nopony was around for miles, so he didn't care. Then, his boredom increased and he started to kick the same rock as he walked for about thirty more miles. Starting to feel hunger-pangs in his stomach, he looked around for anything he could eat. All he could spot out was a tree with some leaves on it, but no fruit. Flying up to it, he hesitantly tasted a leaf off of one of its branches. Surprisingly, it was good! He started eating quicker, realizing just how hungry he was, until all of the leaves on the tree were gone. Still feeling hungry, he scanned the ground for any sort of bugs, as those were a delicacy for changelings. His eyes shifted back and forth at the ground in complete focus until he saw a patch of dirt rustle a bit; he snapped his forked tongue into the ground, peircing an earthworm like a pitchfork and lifting it out of the ground to eat it. Now feeling a little more satisfied, Echo continued on. But as soon as he stepped forward to go on, he collapsed for a few hours and slept like a foal, exhausted from having walked so many miles with so few breaks. When he woke up , he felt like never moving again, as his legs were worn out beyond measure. But he had to continue on until he found a suitable place to live with other creatures (preferably ponies) to interact with. He got up and kept going, using a little wing power to give his legs a rest. As he walked for what seemed like hours overnight with no major setbacks, he finally began to see a sparkling silver city in the distance as the sun rose in the east. It was a strange-looking city, as it seemed to be embedded in the cliffside of the peaked mountain. And then, as he looked closer, the glimmering city was uncomfortably familiar. It was Canterlot Castle, the fortress of the very city he had regrettedly helped his former queen attack. Echo hadn't realized that he walked that direction, because he had forgotten which direction he came from before the lost Uprising. Echo began to panic as he turned the opposite direction and flew a little back to where he came from. But his determination stopped him; he looked back at Canterlot and stopped abruptly, hesitantly walking back in the direction of the now heavily-guarded fortress. He noticed some very strong-looking unicorn stallion sentry along the outermost walls, keeping a close lookout on any other possible threats. Echo then hid quietly behind a large rock along the base of the immense mountain and stopped for a bit, unsure of what to do; if he tried to transform into one of them, they might have some sort of newly-aquired spell to detect such impostors. A million different scenarios went through Echo's mind, most of them ending very badly in one way or another. Suddenly, an idea snapped into his mind. He flew swiftly and quietly to the main entrance of Canterlot while keeping himself hidden, where the other ponies entering had to go through a newly-built magic forcefield which would block out all changelings. He examined the ponies entering closely for quite a while, trying to find the most snooty, uptight-looking one. And finally, Echo found him. A white stallion unicorn with a golden flowing mane and his snobby head held high in sheer pompousness, he was perfect for replication. Prince Blueblood was apparently his name, and Echo examined him quickly from a distance in order to shapeshift into him and attempt to enter in a more unorthadox way. From behind another nearby boulder, Echo transformed abruptly, and was now Prince Blueblood. After a while of waiting for the real Prince Blueblood to disappear into the city entirely, Echo finally revealed himself from behind the rock and inconspicuously joined the steady line of ponies that were also entering Canterlot. Once he got to the forcefield, he stopped abrubtly before it could touch him. "Ahem." Echo stated in a rather rude tone, trying his best to be as snooty as possible. "Yes?" One of the guards replied in a gruff voice, obviously not amused. "Pardon me," Echo continued, "but I do not think I require such an insulting proof of my legitimacy, I believe my mere presence is proof enough." "Sorry," retorted the guard, annoyed, "but all ponies must pass through the shield. Its the new security measure." One of the other guards nudged him, rather worried. "Just let him through... he's Celestia's nephew. We don't want to make him mad, or he might bring her into this, and we don't want that either.... just go through, sir." The guard said to Echo, disguised as Blueblood, as he magically tore a temporary hole in the shield for Echo to pass through. "Thank you." Echo said back to the other guard. trying to hold back a snicker, giddy that his plan actually worked as he had hoped. Now feeling safe, he then walked a bit through the streets of Canterlot, admiring all of its civilized glory, not at all like the dark and damp neon-green hives from which Echo had lived in before, under his Queen's rule. After a while, he decided it would be best to transform into a more inconspicuois pony of less stature, spotting a random black colt with a dark green mane and transforming into him while out of sight to avoid suspicion. "Hm," Echo thought to himself, "These colors actualy fit me pretty well... seeing as I'm a changeling." Once he started walking back into the busy main street, he saw something so amazing that it made his heart skip a beat. About thirty feet away, in the outdoor seating of a small café with expensive-looking bags next to her and sipping some Chamomile tea in a fragile china cup, was the most gorgous creature he had ever seen in his entire life; A rather thin white unicorn mare with a long and flowing pink mane and large purple eyes. Her name was Fleur de Lis. Chapter Three - Calm Before The StormEcho looked on in awe, unable to fully comprehend the sheer vision of beauty that sat at the table several yards away. His heart literally skipped a beat, he suddenly felt dizzy, and he found it hard to stand, yet was unable to move. At that point, he knew; he was in love. He had never felt love before, but one didn't have to learn about it in books or classes to know what it felt like. Echo, disguised as a black and green pony, simply stood there for the next ten minutes or so and just watched her at a distance; his train of thought was interrupted, however, when the beautiful mare he was mindlessly staring at suddenly turned her head to look at him, giving him a scornful glare. Blushing more heavily than he had ever blushed before, Echo suddenly turned right and walked away. He wasn't paying attention, however, and ran face-first into the outer wall of the café the mare was sitting at. Humiliated and already hating his first few minutes in Canterlot, his new home, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the unknown mare, not wanting to look back to see that intimidatingly defensive expression plastered on her face. "Maybe I'll see her again someday, maybe she'll have forgotten by then...." Echo said to himself as he walked on, trying to calm down from the awkward moment. He then decided that he should take a look around some of the shops in the plaza and try to get to know his new home better, know where everything is in case he needs it. He found his way into the Equestrian National Library, wandering through the two-story high bookshelves. "If only I understood the Equestrian language... then these books might actually be useful.." Echo thought to himself as he eyed the millions of books he could learn from. He wanted to know as much as he could about Equestrian culture, but he had to understand its language first. Wandering again through the library, he came upon a tan-yellow mare with a long straight brown mane, calmly reading a hardback clopfic novel and grinning slightly at the risqué content it obviously held. "Um... excuse me... if you could maybe.. help me..?" Echo asked as quietly and politely as he could to her, unaware of what she was reading. ".....Hm?" The earth pony asked, not taking her eyes out of the book. "Um... I was wondering.. if you could... teach me how to...." Echo asked, blushing a little. "Hm, yes?" The yellow pony asked mischeviously, taking his nervously-asked question a little out of context. "Read." Echo finished, ashamed that he didn't know something as simple as reading. "...Oh." The mare responded, looking a little dissapointed. "Uh, sure, one sec..." She continued, putting a bookmark in her "special" book. She then went to a nearby shelf and pulled off an educational book on Equestrian language, sitting down at the table with Echo. "By the way, what's your name, dude?" The mare asked, rather casually. "...Echo." Echo responded, figuring his name was nothing too abnormal for a pony. "Echo, nice. I'm Iron Heart." The mare held her hoof out to him, shaking his hoof before he could even react. "So, lets start with reading basic words..." • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • They both left the library together several hours later, getting ready to part their their separate ways. "Thanks for everything, it was really helpful!" Echo thanked Iron Heart, grateful that he now had at least some basic knowledge; with that, he could now learn to read on his own. "Hey, no prob, Echo." Iron Heart smiled back at him. "Maybe we'll meet again someday. But for now I gotta get to my brother Delta's performance, he's an actor. Well, see ya!" Iron Heart said as she trotted off into the large street traffic of sophisticated ponies. Echo looked o for a while after she was out of sight, glad to see that there were so many kind-hearted ponies in Equestria, a much friendlier atmosphere than the dark war-obsessed hive he once called home. He thought about home a bit more as he walked through the streets of Canterlot in search of a place to stay for the night, feeling fortunate that he had the guts and the opprotunity to escape that dreadful life. After a while, he came upon a hotel that seemed rather fancy and expensive, but then again there was hardly anywhere in Canterlot that DIDN'T look extravagant. Walking in casually, Echo asked the hotel clerk, "Is there any way I can get a hotel room for a while and put it on a tab or something?" "Well, yes." The clerk replied, "that's kind of how a hotel works. You pay at the end of your stay for how many nights you stay, with whatever extra room charges there are, of course." Echo smiled. "So how much is it per night?" "Seventy bits." The clerk replied matter-of-factly. Then Echo's heart dropped to his stomach. "Seventy.... seventy bits?" Echo thought to himself, his head spinning. "That's a fairly decent price." The clerk added, noticing Echo's disbelief. "I... I'm sorry, I don't think there's any way I can afford that..." Echo stammered, a little heartbroken. "Sorry," The clerk said, feeling genuinely sorry. "I wish I could change the price for those who are desperate, but rules are rules. If you have no money, I suggest getting a job... wait a minute, I have an idea! You can work here! We've needed a bagboy for a while now, since our last one quit because of back problems. Wanna take the opening? You'll just work off your stay here, and if you like it, maybe you can work here as a permanent employee! What do you say?" The clerk offered Echo rather enthusiastically. Feeling a little overwhelmed with all the new info, Echo simply replied, "Heh, sure. Sounds great." The clerk smiled widely. "Oh, wonderful! Here, I'll get you your room." The clerk walked Echo to the elevator, where they then went up to one of the top floors, giving Echo a gorgeous view of the city and the vast land surrounding it. The clerk set Echo's bags at the door as Echo walked to the balcony, marvelling at the incredible sight. "Well I hope you'll be ready to start work tomorrow! Good night!" The clerk said as he got back into the elevator and disappeared. Echo smiled to himself as he changed from his new pony disguise back into his normal changeling form; he stood on the balcony and looked down on the beautiful city lights below. "Everypony here is so.... good." Echo said to himself. "I think I'll be really happy here." He then walked to his bed, closing the balcony doors before drifting to sleep, thinking about all the events that the day had given him. "An education, a steady job, shelter... the relationship one still needs work." Echo mumbled as he slipped into unconsciousness, exhausted from the eventful day. If he had stayed awake at the balcony longer, he might've noticed pitch-black clouds form as an ominous green thunderstorm appeared on the horizon... Chapter Four - Getting the MareEcho immediately started his brand new day bright and early, changing into his alternate pony form before coming out of his room and getting as much work done as possible so he could have more free time in his day to explore his new home even more. For the first few hours of his morning, he carried large bags and miscellaneous luggage up and down staircases, to various rooms and floors of the hotel. He could occasionally use the elevator if the guests had a very small amount of luggage, but more often than not, they would have over four bags packed with personal belongings that Echo would then have to carry manually up and down the long flights of stairs. It was honest, well-paying work, but his back began to feel it after a while, especially in his back and hooves. He then was able to have a break for lunch, a full hour, so he hobbled weakly to the plaza again, flapping his wings a little to give his hooves a break from walking the many flights of stairs. He happened upon the café in the plaza where he met the stunningly beautiful white and pink mare the day before, and there she was again, almost as if attending the café on a regular schedule. With a sudden act of bravery, Echo, still in his pony form, walked up to the mare and blurred out impulsively, "YOU ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL AND I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH YOU." Echo then blushed heavily, not knowing what came over him, and started to walk away to avoid any scoffing or scorning from her. "Why did I do that? She would never want to go on a date with me, not in a million years..." Echo thought to himself as he began to trot off in embarassment. "Wait," the mare replied, "Sure, I'll have lunch with you." Echo looked back and immediately returned, standing in front of her at the table, asking in delight, "Really?!" "Of course," she replied casually, "I haven't had lunch with a colt in such a long time, most of them are so nervous around me that they never get the courage to ask me out, it's a shame really... believe it or not, sometimes it can be a little hard to be beautiful..." The white mare continued solemnly as she sipped her tea. Sitting down in the chair across from her, Echo found it a little hard to actually pay any attention to what she was saying, too preoccupied with her miraculous beauty to care about anything else. Though he managed to pay attention to most of what she was saying as she went on talking about her "hot mare problems", he often lost himself a little in his imagination, focusing on her soft pink mane glistening in the sun, her slender white body, her perfect curves; he imagined occasionally during her one-way conversation what it would be like to kiss her hoof, to hold her gently... to make love to her. He caught himself before his increasingly-pervasive thoughts got too graphic, blushing a little as she finished a sentence. "Hm, what is it?" The pony asked, wondering what Echo was blushing randomly about. "It's just.... you are so incredibly beautiful..." Echo impulsively held her hoof in his and kissed it gently, causing the mare to also blush a little. "Oh, my..." She said as she looked away a little, flattered at Echo's impressive chivalry. "What is your name, by the way?" Echo asked as he looked up, able to hide his surprise that his daring move actually worked on her. "My... *ahem* my name is Fleur de Lis. It's a pleasure to meet you, uh..." "Echo. Likewise." Echo replied with a broad grin, almost unable to contain his excitement. He kissed her hoof again, even more confident the second time. "Hehe, oh..." Fleur blushed a little heavier as she held out her hoof in a ladylike fashion. "You're such a gentlecolt." She said, smiling uncontrollably. He kept kissing, moving up her arm little by little, almost reaching her shoulder before she stopped him by holding his own shoulder. "S-sorry..." Echo said a little shamefully, hoping she wouldn't reject him now. Fleur responded by lifting his chin up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Echo blushed deeply as his eyes widened in response, unable to speak. Although a very mild kiss, her touch still sent shockwaves of adrenaline up his spine. "Hehe, I like you Echo, you're cute." Fleur said as she smiled, finishing her tea. "There's something about you that I just like. Would you like to meet again for lunch tomorrow?" "A-absolutely! I had a wonderful time today, I look forward to seeing you again!" Echo stammered as he got up from his seat and said goodbye, heading back to the hotel. His lunch break was almost over, and although he never actually had any lunch while he sat with Fleur, he didn't care; he was too eager to see her the next day to care about anything. Echo finished up his work for the day, heading back to his room after having a rather large dinner (from not having any lunch earlier), and went out onto the balcony, daydreaming about Fleur as he watched Luna's stars gradually begin to replace Celestia's setting sun. As he changed back into his changeling form for the night, he began to remember what he really was, and what Fleur might think of him if she ever saw him like this. His heart sunk a little as he started to feel the pressure of having to choose between being himself and having the mare he wanted. "I'm.... a monster..." A single tear fell to the floor as he walked out of the balcony and into bed, finding it hard to sleep with all the thoughts swirling in his mind. A while after he finally fell asleep, the mysterious storm from the previous night reappeared in the distance and moved even closer to Canterlot. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Meanwhile, Luna kept watch on the horizon with the telescope from atop the watchtower, her focus held on the ominous glow from the storm. "Sister," She called out to the inner chamber of the room behind her. "It seems as if she's back again, and much stronger than before." Celestia emerged from behind the veil over the doorway, also focusing on the storm. "What should we do, sister?" Luna asked somberly, obviously concerned. "There is nothing we CAN do." Celestia replied in a serious tone as she also peered through the telescope. "I was not even a match for her in her normal form, much less this monstrosity she's become. I feel the presence of an Ultimelement in the castle, I have for the past few days. We can only hope that this wielder of the element is prepared, because if they can not stop her, we are doomed." Chapter Five - Destiny is CallingEcho woke up the next morning and noticed that it was unusually dark outside. He took a quick look at his clock and saw that it was apparently eight o' clock in the morning, but it looked outside as if it was still in the middle of the night. He got out of bed and walked over to his balcony window, feeling a little discomfort at what he saw. The entire skyline was covered in a thick blanket of black clouds. However, the clouds were all traveling very quickly and in all different directions. He ran downstairs and out into the street looking around for anypony who might need help finding shelter. "Shit!" Echo thought to himself in a panic, realizing that he was still in his changeling form. There was nopony there, so once he changed into his pony disguise, he flew to the main plaza to see if anypony was there, secretly hoping to find Fleur in need of his help. "Oh well..." He muttered , not finding anypony there either. He took one step to head back to the hotel before a large bright lime-green bolt of lightning struck the ground a few feet ahead of him, propelling him several yards back and into a wall of a building. "Wha- What the hell?!?" He yelled in frustration as he struggled to get up. His eyes widened in an unexplainable fear as he felt the air pressure increase to unnatural levels, finding it increasingly difficult to stand. Everywhere in Canterlot it was happening as well; even Celestia and Luna could feel the vast amounts of energy coming from the plaza. Echo adjusted his eyes to the sight before him, not quite believing what he was seeing. There in front of him stood his former Queen, Chrysalis. However, she was much larger than before and had a more "rotting" appearance about her, with a revolting pus and slime oozing out of her black, crusty skin, her face much scarier in general, with her razor-sharp teeth much larger and her eyes a lifeless sickly green and grey. She was definitely not the same changeling as before. Not even acknowledging Echo, she promptly ignored him and turned around, leaving massive disfigured hoofprints in the cement. She was about to unleash a massive bright green laser beam from her twisted black horn when she was interrupted by Echo. "HEY!" Echo shouted at her, suddenly feeling anger and confusion. "Just where the hell did you go, leaving your faithful hordes behind, and why do you look like that? What the hell did you do to yourself?!" The new Chrysalis simply looked at him in blank confusion, but ignored him again and readied her horn beam for a massive retaliation against thee city. Echo used his own horn to send his own beam at her to get her attention. He quickly regretted it. She sent the already charged beam in his direction, whirling her head back at him. It struck him point-blank, uplifting the pavement in large boulder-like chunks and sending him several hundred feet into another wall. He fell to the hard cement, his body imprinted on the brick wall. He felt surprisingly well for how hard he hit it, simply having to snap some of his joints back into place. Meanwhile, from one of the top floors of a few buildings away, Fleur had noticed what was going on outside. She was shocked to find that the kind colt she had met just the other day was now fighting for Canterlot and for his life against a massive and horrific creature. She immediately galloped downstairs, unsure of what to do, but carefully thinking of any way she could help him. Chrysalis flew at Echo at speeds too fast to keep track of; she appeared behind him almost out of thin air and used her massive jaws to bite down hard on his eco-skeleton, her blade-like teeth slowly piercing his armored shell and sending painful shocks down his spinal cord. "Aaaahhh!!" Echo grimaced in agony, his bodily insectoid fluids seeping out of the bite holes. Tears of pain ran down his cheek as he struggled to break free. But it was no use, as it only made the pain even worse. The monstrous Chrysalis spun around and let him go, sending him through the air and across the pavement, only giving him a few scratches and puncture wounds. He got up slowly, his entire body twitching with agony, but still able to stand. "What the... that... should've killed me... this is insane... but fine, as long as I can still fight her, I'll just have to find out what I can really do!" Echo flew up into the sky again, feeling better already, with Chrysalis following close behind him. The former Queen let out a glass-shattering roar as she flew top speed at him in anger, feeling incredibly provoked. Echo flew blindly in the pitch-black storm clouds, hoping to escape from the clouds again for even a few seconds so that he could strike her in a distance; he flew in every possible direction, weaving back and forth to try and lose her. Suddenly, thousands of miniature beams from Chrysalis's horn scorched through the sky, several of them striking Echo again. They tore at his wings, surprisingly not ripping them, but till damaging them enough that he was losing altitude. He then plummeted back to earth, trying as hard as he could to minimize the damage from impact. Chrysalis spotted him as he fell and knocked into him again, sending him flying uncontrollably into yet another wall. "Damn..." Echo mutter as he fell once more from the wall. He hit the ground face first, hesitating to get up, knowing that his Queen was readying the finishing blow. "Why.... is this happening..." Echo thought, feeling overwhelmed with sadness that his brand new life was already ending. "Everything was going so well... and now it's about to be taken away from me... again.." Echo felt a tear ran down his face, thinking of the memories he would get to have. "Fleur... I wish you could've been mine..." ".....I want you to be mine too." Echo's ears perked up at the familiar voice. He could't believe what he saw, and especially couldn't believe what he heard. Fleur was standing at his side. He then blushed heavily as he realized that he had said that last part out loud. Before he could reply, he noticed the mutated Queen's laser beam heading straight for them. He reeled his head around as quickly as he could and summoned all of his strength into his horn, firing his own energy in a stalemate against hers. The two green beams collided, but it was only a matter of time before Chrysalis would overcome him.. "I... have to... fight... I have to.... WIN!" His eyes widened as they became a bright lidless green and his own beam became much stronger, pushing against Chrysalis's. The energy between the two was overwhelming and could be felt throughout the surrounding area for miles. However, Echo focused so much of his energy into the fight that his pony disguise was starting to fade completely. "Shit shit shit shit shit shit shiiiiit!" Echo thought to himself as he noticed that he was changing back to normal. Fleur looked on in surprise as the colt she thought she knew slowly transform into a changeling. Knowing it was too late, Echo tried to ignore what Fleur would think for now and focused on defeating Chrysalis. "HHHHUUUUUUUAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" Echo yelled in determination as his beam pressed against hers even more, strengthening the energy of the singularity between the stalemate. He was then surprised to see a light pink beam of magical energy conjoin with his own. He peered over at his side and saw Fleur, also using her energy to overcome the monstrous changeling Queen. They both lifted several feet off of the ground, their energies combining into one as its power was maximized, firing point-blank at the monster. Chrysalis's beam was overcome almost immediately, as she was engulfed in the energy. All three of them fell to the ground soon afterwards, the dark clouds in the sky soon clearing. Echo and Fleur recovered first, smiling gently at each other as they looked up. They then noticed a body lying in the midst of where Chrysalis had been. It was a white alicorn with an azure blue mane, covered in a serene white glow. On her head she wore a golden crown engraved with blue jewels. Echo and Fleur got up and slowly walked to her, waking her up. "Uhhh..... hello?" Echo asked, not sure what to think. "Mhhhh....huh?" The alicorn asked daily, soon realizing what had happened and where she was. "Oh my... I have a lot to explain..." She said to herself, standing up. "Come, follow me. You can trust me." Echo and Fleur looked at each other hesitantly before following her, convinced that she no longer had any evil intent. They soon found themselves in Celestia's castle with the Princesses themselves. "My name," The mysterious alicorn continued, "is Princess Papillon. I became Queen Chrysalis when these strange horrible creatures attacked me and injected me with some sort of black fluid... it was horrible... and then it became even worse when I came to my senses momentarily and tried to escape after our defeat, but they somehow found me again and one of the actually went inside of me... I could feel it seeping into my skin..." Unable to continue reliving the awful memories, Papillon turned her head and shed several tears. The other Princesses comforted her, hoping they would never have to go through the same thing that she did. "And the worst part is," she continued, "I am not their only victim there will be others who will go through the same thing that I did, maybe even worse... I propose that we hunt down thee creatures before they do any more harm. I don't know what they were, but they must be stopped at all costs. From what I remember while it was inside my mind, I have a feeling that they will strike very soon. I have this impression that I was one of their first victims...." Celestia turned to Echo, taking him aside so they could speak alone. "I was wondering if you can explain some things to me," Echo asked her. "Before you ask," Celestia responded, "I will just tell you first. You are not like other changelings. This is no coincidence." She took a book off of the shelf with her magic. "There are 6 Elements of Harmony. Nearly everypony knows this. What hardly ANYpony knows is that there another whole set of Elements. These are known as Ultimelements. These Elements are at a much higher dimension than the original Elements. They are assigned to the six most capable ponies, or in your case, changelings, in all of Equestria who can defend from a disaster that the Elements of Harmony would not be able to defeat. These are not physical objects, these are traits that only come to those who deserve it. You proved yourself with all you've been through earning you the Ultimelement of Determination. You were able to endure unnatural amounts of damage because of your possession of the Ultimelement. The black liquid that Papillon was referring to is Nightmare Fuel, which causes mutation and merciless wrath in those who get it into their system. The creatures that she mentioned..... even I am not sure." She put the book away and walked back the the other princesses, signaling for Echo to follow. Princess Papillon thanked them for freeing her from herself as they sent Echo and Fleur on their way. "Sister.." Luna turned to Celestia and asked, "what if we need them again? And what of the other Elements?" "The Elements will discover themselves, in due time. They will be there to defend Equestria. Because that is what heroes do." .................................................................................................................................................................................................... Echo no longer needed to live in the hotel and stayed with Fleur in her luxury apartment suite. He still worked at the hotel, however. Echo also no longer needed to be disguised a pony anymore, since everypony now knew he was a changeling and there was no longer a boycott against his kind. As they were enjoying one of their first real dinner dates as a couple in the apartment, Echo asked Fleur casually, "So... you're okay with me being a changeling? You... don't think I'm ugly?" "I'm more than okay with you being a changeling, and of course not," Fleur replied happily, "In fact, you're looking particularly handsome...tonight..." She got a seductive look in her eye, making Echo blush heavily. She got up from the table in their dining room and headed towards the bedroom, winking at him before she disappeared behind the door. Echo ran in after her, shutting the door behind him. THE END Echo and Fleur will return in "The Grimdark Saga"
Chapter One - New BeginningA spiraling landscape. He felt a sharp pain coursing through his whole body. And then, black. No more pain. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • His name was Echo, and he had just been tossed over a hundred miles from the preceding shockwave caused by the magical love of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Echo was one of the many changeling warriors that Queen Chrysalis had used to fight for her in her attempt to overthrow Canterlot's throne. He had his occasional doubts before, but now, thanks to this humiliating defeat, he was sure. Echo wanted to be free to live his own life, instead of being one of the Queen's expendable soldiers. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • When he woke up again several hours later, the pain had returned, but it was more bearable than earlier. He then stood up on his hole-filled hooves slowly, making a great effort to stand properly, and looked around his environment, half-dazed from his impact. As his vision finally came into view, his heart broke; he saw his teammates scattered about the area for possibly miles, limbs all twitching like that of squished bugs. Some of them were also starting to awaken at the same time he was, but the others were still mostly unconscious. Others, mostly the weaker, smaller ones, weren't moving at all. And yet, through all of this horrific scenery, the defeated Queen was nowhere to be found. The only evidence that she was there at all was a crater slightly larger than any of the changelings. Echo then noticed one of his few friends, a changeling commander named Static, and hobbled weakly over to him, helping him up while being careful not to do so too quickly to avoid harming any fractures or broken bones he might have. "Wha.... what.. happened?" Static asked his long-time friend in a daze, hardly even able to stand on his own. "We... failed... we failed our Queen..." Echo replied, all hope gone in his voice. They held each other for a brief moment, grateful that the other was mostly unharmed and alive. Then Echo looked at the ground, a somewhat angry expression plastered on his face. "Wait... this... no..." Echo continued, after thinking a bit. "We didn't fail her... SHE failed US." "What do you mean, Echo?" Static asked him in sheer disbelief and worry. "We should've fought much harder to protect her, its our fault." "No, its much more than that, don't you get it, Static? This has nothing to do with us... we are just like.... ants, mindlessly working for our queen without question, and there are always, ALWAYS more workers to cover any casualties or losses. We're worthless as individuals, to her... we don't even EXIST as individual changelings with dreams and lives, we're just tools for her greed and wrath. And now look what we are... she abandoned us, her 'faithful servants'. That's all we ever were to her, and now we have nothing. The Uprising is disbanded. It's time to move on, we might as well, as long as SHE has." "But..." Static tried to interrupt, at a loss as to why Echo was suddenly so rebellious against the Queen, who was looked upon as a sort of mother-figure for the changeling horde. "Think about it," Echo continued, "We changelings all look almost exactly the same, haven't you never noticed that? We're not ever recognized as individuals, and its time we started becoming the changelings WE want to be. The ponies we saw in Canterlot were so different from eachother, so unique, and they still got along with their differences and lived happy lives. I know this because, before our attack, I was part of the tactical team that gathered as much information about the ponies as possible. ...I just feel like I would like to be unique like that someday. Is that so wrong?" Echo was completely fed-up with the desolate, conformist life that he had; it was time to start over, and there was no better time than now. Static, however, didn't exactly feel the same way. "No, we can... we'll find her, we... I...." Starting to break down in tears of despair, he knew that Echo was right, but Static didn't want to admit it. Echo held on to his friend in comfort and understanding as he thought up an idea. "...Come with me, let's get out of here, out of the Hive. Let's go and live our own lives. We won't have any remorseless tyrant telling us what to do, won't that be wonderful?" He asked Static, with hope finally returning in his eyes. "........No. I.... I can't... I just can't. I'm loyal to the Queen. Just... go on your own, I'll be fine. ....Go." Static replied solemnly, but with a sure tone in his voice. Echo looked at his friend in sadness, feeling hopeless once more. "Are you sure? ....Well.... f... fine. I'll just... go... on my own... goodbye... Static..." Echo turned to walk away, but quickly felt a hoof on his shoulder. Static told at him with a smile as Echo looked back, "You'll be great, Echo. Get out there, into the world. I know you'll do great things. Maybe we'll see eachother again someday. Now go." Static smiled as he also turned back, going to the other recovering changelings to help them up. Echo smiled back and turned to face the wide world ahead of him. "This," he thought, "is the first step to a new life." He took a single step forward, and then walked on into the vast and diverse landscape ahead. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Meanwhile, A rather thin white mare with a long pink mane, known as Fleur de Lis, was helping in the effort to clean up the city of Canterlot with her magic after the attempted Uprising. Everypony was doing their part: Repairing buildings, disposing of rubble, cleaning the cacoon-forming goo off of the streets, walls, and ceilings of rooms in almost every building. However, being a more high-class pony, she put as much effort as she could to avoid getting dirty. She did not know it yet, but her life as she knew it was about to be changed forever, thanks to the unlikely creature that was currently (and unknowingly) heading toward Canterlot Castle.
Chapter Two - Return to CanterlotEcho was well on his way to a new life. With a long journey ahead of him, he had a lot of time to sort out his thoughts about recent events. The Uprising, the defeat, the missing Queen, his uncertain future of his friendship with Static, and his plans for his future life as a free changeling. After a while, he got bored and started to think of songs and make up lyrics to them in his head, occasionally singing them out loud in a terrible key; nopony was around for miles, so he didn't care. Then, his boredom increased and he started to kick the same rock as he walked for about thirty more miles. Starting to feel hunger-pangs in his stomach, he looked around for anything he could eat. All he could spot out was a tree with some leaves on it, but no fruit. Flying up to it, he hesitantly tasted a leaf off of one of its branches. Surprisingly, it was good! He started eating quicker, realizing just how hungry he was, until all of the leaves on the tree were gone. Still feeling hungry, he scanned the ground for any sort of bugs, as those were a delicacy for changelings. His eyes shifted back and forth at the ground in complete focus until he saw a patch of dirt rustle a bit; he snapped his forked tongue into the ground, peircing an earthworm like a pitchfork and lifting it out of the ground to eat it. Now feeling a little more satisfied, Echo continued on. But as soon as he stepped forward to go on, he collapsed for a few hours and slept like a foal, exhausted from having walked so many miles with so few breaks. When he woke up , he felt like never moving again, as his legs were worn out beyond measure. But he had to continue on until he found a suitable place to live with other creatures (preferably ponies) to interact with. He got up and kept going, using a little wing power to give his legs a rest. As he walked for what seemed like hours overnight with no major setbacks, he finally began to see a sparkling silver city in the distance as the sun rose in the east. It was a strange-looking city, as it seemed to be embedded in the cliffside of the peaked mountain. And then, as he looked closer, the glimmering city was uncomfortably familiar. It was Canterlot Castle, the fortress of the very city he had regrettedly helped his former queen attack. Echo hadn't realized that he walked that direction, because he had forgotten which direction he came from before the lost Uprising. Echo began to panic as he turned the opposite direction and flew a little back to where he came from. But his determination stopped him; he looked back at Canterlot and stopped abruptly, hesitantly walking back in the direction of the now heavily-guarded fortress. He noticed some very strong-looking unicorn stallion sentry along the outermost walls, keeping a close lookout on any other possible threats. Echo then hid quietly behind a large rock along the base of the immense mountain and stopped for a bit, unsure of what to do; if he tried to transform into one of them, they might have some sort of newly-aquired spell to detect such impostors. A million different scenarios went through Echo's mind, most of them ending very badly in one way or another. Suddenly, an idea snapped into his mind. He flew swiftly and quietly to the main entrance of Canterlot while keeping himself hidden, where the other ponies entering had to go through a newly-built magic forcefield which would block out all changelings. He examined the ponies entering closely for quite a while, trying to find the most snooty, uptight-looking one. And finally, Echo found him. A white stallion unicorn with a golden flowing mane and his snobby head held high in sheer pompousness, he was perfect for replication. Prince Blueblood was apparently his name, and Echo examined him quickly from a distance in order to shapeshift into him and attempt to enter in a more unorthadox way. From behind another nearby boulder, Echo transformed abruptly, and was now Prince Blueblood. After a while of waiting for the real Prince Blueblood to disappear into the city entirely, Echo finally revealed himself from behind the rock and inconspicuously joined the steady line of ponies that were also entering Canterlot. Once he got to the forcefield, he stopped abrubtly before it could touch him. "Ahem." Echo stated in a rather rude tone, trying his best to be as snooty as possible. "Yes?" One of the guards replied in a gruff voice, obviously not amused. "Pardon me," Echo continued, "but I do not think I require such an insulting proof of my legitimacy, I believe my mere presence is proof enough." "Sorry," retorted the guard, annoyed, "but all ponies must pass through the shield. Its the new security measure." One of the other guards nudged him, rather worried. "Just let him through... he's Celestia's nephew. We don't want to make him mad, or he might bring her into this, and we don't want that either.... just go through, sir." The guard said to Echo, disguised as Blueblood, as he magically tore a temporary hole in the shield for Echo to pass through. "Thank you." Echo said back to the other guard. trying to hold back a snicker, giddy that his plan actually worked as he had hoped. Now feeling safe, he then walked a bit through the streets of Canterlot, admiring all of its civilized glory, not at all like the dark and damp neon-green hives from which Echo had lived in before, under his Queen's rule. After a while, he decided it would be best to transform into a more inconspicuois pony of less stature, spotting a random black colt with a dark green mane and transforming into him while out of sight to avoid suspicion. "Hm," Echo thought to himself, "These colors actualy fit me pretty well... seeing as I'm a changeling." Once he started walking back into the busy main street, he saw something so amazing that it made his heart skip a beat. About thirty feet away, in the outdoor seating of a small café with expensive-looking bags next to her and sipping some Chamomile tea in a fragile china cup, was the most gorgous creature he had ever seen in his entire life; A rather thin white unicorn mare with a long and flowing pink mane and large purple eyes. Her name was Fleur de Lis.
Chapter Three - Calm Before The StormEcho looked on in awe, unable to fully comprehend the sheer vision of beauty that sat at the table several yards away. His heart literally skipped a beat, he suddenly felt dizzy, and he found it hard to stand, yet was unable to move. At that point, he knew; he was in love. He had never felt love before, but one didn't have to learn about it in books or classes to know what it felt like. Echo, disguised as a black and green pony, simply stood there for the next ten minutes or so and just watched her at a distance; his train of thought was interrupted, however, when the beautiful mare he was mindlessly staring at suddenly turned her head to look at him, giving him a scornful glare. Blushing more heavily than he had ever blushed before, Echo suddenly turned right and walked away. He wasn't paying attention, however, and ran face-first into the outer wall of the café the mare was sitting at. Humiliated and already hating his first few minutes in Canterlot, his new home, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the unknown mare, not wanting to look back to see that intimidatingly defensive expression plastered on her face. "Maybe I'll see her again someday, maybe she'll have forgotten by then...." Echo said to himself as he walked on, trying to calm down from the awkward moment. He then decided that he should take a look around some of the shops in the plaza and try to get to know his new home better, know where everything is in case he needs it. He found his way into the Equestrian National Library, wandering through the two-story high bookshelves. "If only I understood the Equestrian language... then these books might actually be useful.." Echo thought to himself as he eyed the millions of books he could learn from. He wanted to know as much as he could about Equestrian culture, but he had to understand its language first. Wandering again through the library, he came upon a tan-yellow mare with a long straight brown mane, calmly reading a hardback clopfic novel and grinning slightly at the risqué content it obviously held. "Um... excuse me... if you could maybe.. help me..?" Echo asked as quietly and politely as he could to her, unaware of what she was reading. ".....Hm?" The earth pony asked, not taking her eyes out of the book. "Um... I was wondering.. if you could... teach me how to...." Echo asked, blushing a little. "Hm, yes?" The yellow pony asked mischeviously, taking his nervously-asked question a little out of context. "Read." Echo finished, ashamed that he didn't know something as simple as reading. "...Oh." The mare responded, looking a little dissapointed. "Uh, sure, one sec..." She continued, putting a bookmark in her "special" book. She then went to a nearby shelf and pulled off an educational book on Equestrian language, sitting down at the table with Echo. "By the way, what's your name, dude?" The mare asked, rather casually. "...Echo." Echo responded, figuring his name was nothing too abnormal for a pony. "Echo, nice. I'm Iron Heart." The mare held her hoof out to him, shaking his hoof before he could even react. "So, lets start with reading basic words..." • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • They both left the library together several hours later, getting ready to part their their separate ways. "Thanks for everything, it was really helpful!" Echo thanked Iron Heart, grateful that he now had at least some basic knowledge; with that, he could now learn to read on his own. "Hey, no prob, Echo." Iron Heart smiled back at him. "Maybe we'll meet again someday. But for now I gotta get to my brother Delta's performance, he's an actor. Well, see ya!" Iron Heart said as she trotted off into the large street traffic of sophisticated ponies. Echo looked o for a while after she was out of sight, glad to see that there were so many kind-hearted ponies in Equestria, a much friendlier atmosphere than the dark war-obsessed hive he once called home. He thought about home a bit more as he walked through the streets of Canterlot in search of a place to stay for the night, feeling fortunate that he had the guts and the opprotunity to escape that dreadful life. After a while, he came upon a hotel that seemed rather fancy and expensive, but then again there was hardly anywhere in Canterlot that DIDN'T look extravagant. Walking in casually, Echo asked the hotel clerk, "Is there any way I can get a hotel room for a while and put it on a tab or something?" "Well, yes." The clerk replied, "that's kind of how a hotel works. You pay at the end of your stay for how many nights you stay, with whatever extra room charges there are, of course." Echo smiled. "So how much is it per night?" "Seventy bits." The clerk replied matter-of-factly. Then Echo's heart dropped to his stomach. "Seventy.... seventy bits?" Echo thought to himself, his head spinning. "That's a fairly decent price." The clerk added, noticing Echo's disbelief. "I... I'm sorry, I don't think there's any way I can afford that..." Echo stammered, a little heartbroken. "Sorry," The clerk said, feeling genuinely sorry. "I wish I could change the price for those who are desperate, but rules are rules. If you have no money, I suggest getting a job... wait a minute, I have an idea! You can work here! We've needed a bagboy for a while now, since our last one quit because of back problems. Wanna take the opening? You'll just work off your stay here, and if you like it, maybe you can work here as a permanent employee! What do you say?" The clerk offered Echo rather enthusiastically. Feeling a little overwhelmed with all the new info, Echo simply replied, "Heh, sure. Sounds great." The clerk smiled widely. "Oh, wonderful! Here, I'll get you your room." The clerk walked Echo to the elevator, where they then went up to one of the top floors, giving Echo a gorgeous view of the city and the vast land surrounding it. The clerk set Echo's bags at the door as Echo walked to the balcony, marvelling at the incredible sight. "Well I hope you'll be ready to start work tomorrow! Good night!" The clerk said as he got back into the elevator and disappeared. Echo smiled to himself as he changed from his new pony disguise back into his normal changeling form; he stood on the balcony and looked down on the beautiful city lights below. "Everypony here is so.... good." Echo said to himself. "I think I'll be really happy here." He then walked to his bed, closing the balcony doors before drifting to sleep, thinking about all the events that the day had given him. "An education, a steady job, shelter... the relationship one still needs work." Echo mumbled as he slipped into unconsciousness, exhausted from the eventful day. If he had stayed awake at the balcony longer, he might've noticed pitch-black clouds form as an ominous green thunderstorm appeared on the horizon...
Chapter Four - Getting the MareEcho immediately started his brand new day bright and early, changing into his alternate pony form before coming out of his room and getting as much work done as possible so he could have more free time in his day to explore his new home even more. For the first few hours of his morning, he carried large bags and miscellaneous luggage up and down staircases, to various rooms and floors of the hotel. He could occasionally use the elevator if the guests had a very small amount of luggage, but more often than not, they would have over four bags packed with personal belongings that Echo would then have to carry manually up and down the long flights of stairs. It was honest, well-paying work, but his back began to feel it after a while, especially in his back and hooves. He then was able to have a break for lunch, a full hour, so he hobbled weakly to the plaza again, flapping his wings a little to give his hooves a break from walking the many flights of stairs. He happened upon the café in the plaza where he met the stunningly beautiful white and pink mare the day before, and there she was again, almost as if attending the café on a regular schedule. With a sudden act of bravery, Echo, still in his pony form, walked up to the mare and blurred out impulsively, "YOU ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL AND I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH YOU." Echo then blushed heavily, not knowing what came over him, and started to walk away to avoid any scoffing or scorning from her. "Why did I do that? She would never want to go on a date with me, not in a million years..." Echo thought to himself as he began to trot off in embarassment. "Wait," the mare replied, "Sure, I'll have lunch with you." Echo looked back and immediately returned, standing in front of her at the table, asking in delight, "Really?!" "Of course," she replied casually, "I haven't had lunch with a colt in such a long time, most of them are so nervous around me that they never get the courage to ask me out, it's a shame really... believe it or not, sometimes it can be a little hard to be beautiful..." The white mare continued solemnly as she sipped her tea. Sitting down in the chair across from her, Echo found it a little hard to actually pay any attention to what she was saying, too preoccupied with her miraculous beauty to care about anything else. Though he managed to pay attention to most of what she was saying as she went on talking about her "hot mare problems", he often lost himself a little in his imagination, focusing on her soft pink mane glistening in the sun, her slender white body, her perfect curves; he imagined occasionally during her one-way conversation what it would be like to kiss her hoof, to hold her gently... to make love to her. He caught himself before his increasingly-pervasive thoughts got too graphic, blushing a little as she finished a sentence. "Hm, what is it?" The pony asked, wondering what Echo was blushing randomly about. "It's just.... you are so incredibly beautiful..." Echo impulsively held her hoof in his and kissed it gently, causing the mare to also blush a little. "Oh, my..." She said as she looked away a little, flattered at Echo's impressive chivalry. "What is your name, by the way?" Echo asked as he looked up, able to hide his surprise that his daring move actually worked on her. "My... *ahem* my name is Fleur de Lis. It's a pleasure to meet you, uh..." "Echo. Likewise." Echo replied with a broad grin, almost unable to contain his excitement. He kissed her hoof again, even more confident the second time. "Hehe, oh..." Fleur blushed a little heavier as she held out her hoof in a ladylike fashion. "You're such a gentlecolt." She said, smiling uncontrollably. He kept kissing, moving up her arm little by little, almost reaching her shoulder before she stopped him by holding his own shoulder. "S-sorry..." Echo said a little shamefully, hoping she wouldn't reject him now. Fleur responded by lifting his chin up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Echo blushed deeply as his eyes widened in response, unable to speak. Although a very mild kiss, her touch still sent shockwaves of adrenaline up his spine. "Hehe, I like you Echo, you're cute." Fleur said as she smiled, finishing her tea. "There's something about you that I just like. Would you like to meet again for lunch tomorrow?" "A-absolutely! I had a wonderful time today, I look forward to seeing you again!" Echo stammered as he got up from his seat and said goodbye, heading back to the hotel. His lunch break was almost over, and although he never actually had any lunch while he sat with Fleur, he didn't care; he was too eager to see her the next day to care about anything. Echo finished up his work for the day, heading back to his room after having a rather large dinner (from not having any lunch earlier), and went out onto the balcony, daydreaming about Fleur as he watched Luna's stars gradually begin to replace Celestia's setting sun. As he changed back into his changeling form for the night, he began to remember what he really was, and what Fleur might think of him if she ever saw him like this. His heart sunk a little as he started to feel the pressure of having to choose between being himself and having the mare he wanted. "I'm.... a monster..." A single tear fell to the floor as he walked out of the balcony and into bed, finding it hard to sleep with all the thoughts swirling in his mind. A while after he finally fell asleep, the mysterious storm from the previous night reappeared in the distance and moved even closer to Canterlot. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Meanwhile, Luna kept watch on the horizon with the telescope from atop the watchtower, her focus held on the ominous glow from the storm. "Sister," She called out to the inner chamber of the room behind her. "It seems as if she's back again, and much stronger than before." Celestia emerged from behind the veil over the doorway, also focusing on the storm. "What should we do, sister?" Luna asked somberly, obviously concerned. "There is nothing we CAN do." Celestia replied in a serious tone as she also peered through the telescope. "I was not even a match for her in her normal form, much less this monstrosity she's become. I feel the presence of an Ultimelement in the castle, I have for the past few days. We can only hope that this wielder of the element is prepared, because if they can not stop her, we are doomed."
Chapter Five - Destiny is CallingEcho woke up the next morning and noticed that it was unusually dark outside. He took a quick look at his clock and saw that it was apparently eight o' clock in the morning, but it looked outside as if it was still in the middle of the night. He got out of bed and walked over to his balcony window, feeling a little discomfort at what he saw. The entire skyline was covered in a thick blanket of black clouds. However, the clouds were all traveling very quickly and in all different directions. He ran downstairs and out into the street looking around for anypony who might need help finding shelter. "Shit!" Echo thought to himself in a panic, realizing that he was still in his changeling form. There was nopony there, so once he changed into his pony disguise, he flew to the main plaza to see if anypony was there, secretly hoping to find Fleur in need of his help. "Oh well..." He muttered , not finding anypony there either. He took one step to head back to the hotel before a large bright lime-green bolt of lightning struck the ground a few feet ahead of him, propelling him several yards back and into a wall of a building. "Wha- What the hell?!?" He yelled in frustration as he struggled to get up. His eyes widened in an unexplainable fear as he felt the air pressure increase to unnatural levels, finding it increasingly difficult to stand. Everywhere in Canterlot it was happening as well; even Celestia and Luna could feel the vast amounts of energy coming from the plaza. Echo adjusted his eyes to the sight before him, not quite believing what he was seeing. There in front of him stood his former Queen, Chrysalis. However, she was much larger than before and had a more "rotting" appearance about her, with a revolting pus and slime oozing out of her black, crusty skin, her face much scarier in general, with her razor-sharp teeth much larger and her eyes a lifeless sickly green and grey. She was definitely not the same changeling as before. Not even acknowledging Echo, she promptly ignored him and turned around, leaving massive disfigured hoofprints in the cement. She was about to unleash a massive bright green laser beam from her twisted black horn when she was interrupted by Echo. "HEY!" Echo shouted at her, suddenly feeling anger and confusion. "Just where the hell did you go, leaving your faithful hordes behind, and why do you look like that? What the hell did you do to yourself?!" The new Chrysalis simply looked at him in blank confusion, but ignored him again and readied her horn beam for a massive retaliation against thee city. Echo used his own horn to send his own beam at her to get her attention. He quickly regretted it. She sent the already charged beam in his direction, whirling her head back at him. It struck him point-blank, uplifting the pavement in large boulder-like chunks and sending him several hundred feet into another wall. He fell to the hard cement, his body imprinted on the brick wall. He felt surprisingly well for how hard he hit it, simply having to snap some of his joints back into place. Meanwhile, from one of the top floors of a few buildings away, Fleur had noticed what was going on outside. She was shocked to find that the kind colt she had met just the other day was now fighting for Canterlot and for his life against a massive and horrific creature. She immediately galloped downstairs, unsure of what to do, but carefully thinking of any way she could help him. Chrysalis flew at Echo at speeds too fast to keep track of; she appeared behind him almost out of thin air and used her massive jaws to bite down hard on his eco-skeleton, her blade-like teeth slowly piercing his armored shell and sending painful shocks down his spinal cord. "Aaaahhh!!" Echo grimaced in agony, his bodily insectoid fluids seeping out of the bite holes. Tears of pain ran down his cheek as he struggled to break free. But it was no use, as it only made the pain even worse. The monstrous Chrysalis spun around and let him go, sending him through the air and across the pavement, only giving him a few scratches and puncture wounds. He got up slowly, his entire body twitching with agony, but still able to stand. "What the... that... should've killed me... this is insane... but fine, as long as I can still fight her, I'll just have to find out what I can really do!" Echo flew up into the sky again, feeling better already, with Chrysalis following close behind him. The former Queen let out a glass-shattering roar as she flew top speed at him in anger, feeling incredibly provoked. Echo flew blindly in the pitch-black storm clouds, hoping to escape from the clouds again for even a few seconds so that he could strike her in a distance; he flew in every possible direction, weaving back and forth to try and lose her. Suddenly, thousands of miniature beams from Chrysalis's horn scorched through the sky, several of them striking Echo again. They tore at his wings, surprisingly not ripping them, but till damaging them enough that he was losing altitude. He then plummeted back to earth, trying as hard as he could to minimize the damage from impact. Chrysalis spotted him as he fell and knocked into him again, sending him flying uncontrollably into yet another wall. "Damn..." Echo mutter as he fell once more from the wall. He hit the ground face first, hesitating to get up, knowing that his Queen was readying the finishing blow. "Why.... is this happening..." Echo thought, feeling overwhelmed with sadness that his brand new life was already ending. "Everything was going so well... and now it's about to be taken away from me... again.." Echo felt a tear ran down his face, thinking of the memories he would get to have. "Fleur... I wish you could've been mine..." ".....I want you to be mine too." Echo's ears perked up at the familiar voice. He could't believe what he saw, and especially couldn't believe what he heard. Fleur was standing at his side. He then blushed heavily as he realized that he had said that last part out loud. Before he could reply, he noticed the mutated Queen's laser beam heading straight for them. He reeled his head around as quickly as he could and summoned all of his strength into his horn, firing his own energy in a stalemate against hers. The two green beams collided, but it was only a matter of time before Chrysalis would overcome him.. "I... have to... fight... I have to.... WIN!" His eyes widened as they became a bright lidless green and his own beam became much stronger, pushing against Chrysalis's. The energy between the two was overwhelming and could be felt throughout the surrounding area for miles. However, Echo focused so much of his energy into the fight that his pony disguise was starting to fade completely. "Shit shit shit shit shit shit shiiiiit!" Echo thought to himself as he noticed that he was changing back to normal. Fleur looked on in surprise as the colt she thought she knew slowly transform into a changeling. Knowing it was too late, Echo tried to ignore what Fleur would think for now and focused on defeating Chrysalis. "HHHHUUUUUUUAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" Echo yelled in determination as his beam pressed against hers even more, strengthening the energy of the singularity between the stalemate. He was then surprised to see a light pink beam of magical energy conjoin with his own. He peered over at his side and saw Fleur, also using her energy to overcome the monstrous changeling Queen. They both lifted several feet off of the ground, their energies combining into one as its power was maximized, firing point-blank at the monster. Chrysalis's beam was overcome almost immediately, as she was engulfed in the energy. All three of them fell to the ground soon afterwards, the dark clouds in the sky soon clearing. Echo and Fleur recovered first, smiling gently at each other as they looked up. They then noticed a body lying in the midst of where Chrysalis had been. It was a white alicorn with an azure blue mane, covered in a serene white glow. On her head she wore a golden crown engraved with blue jewels. Echo and Fleur got up and slowly walked to her, waking her up. "Uhhh..... hello?" Echo asked, not sure what to think. "Mhhhh....huh?" The alicorn asked daily, soon realizing what had happened and where she was. "Oh my... I have a lot to explain..." She said to herself, standing up. "Come, follow me. You can trust me." Echo and Fleur looked at each other hesitantly before following her, convinced that she no longer had any evil intent. They soon found themselves in Celestia's castle with the Princesses themselves. "My name," The mysterious alicorn continued, "is Princess Papillon. I became Queen Chrysalis when these strange horrible creatures attacked me and injected me with some sort of black fluid... it was horrible... and then it became even worse when I came to my senses momentarily and tried to escape after our defeat, but they somehow found me again and one of the actually went inside of me... I could feel it seeping into my skin..." Unable to continue reliving the awful memories, Papillon turned her head and shed several tears. The other Princesses comforted her, hoping they would never have to go through the same thing that she did. "And the worst part is," she continued, "I am not their only victim there will be others who will go through the same thing that I did, maybe even worse... I propose that we hunt down thee creatures before they do any more harm. I don't know what they were, but they must be stopped at all costs. From what I remember while it was inside my mind, I have a feeling that they will strike very soon. I have this impression that I was one of their first victims...." Celestia turned to Echo, taking him aside so they could speak alone. "I was wondering if you can explain some things to me," Echo asked her. "Before you ask," Celestia responded, "I will just tell you first. You are not like other changelings. This is no coincidence." She took a book off of the shelf with her magic. "There are 6 Elements of Harmony. Nearly everypony knows this. What hardly ANYpony knows is that there another whole set of Elements. These are known as Ultimelements. These Elements are at a much higher dimension than the original Elements. They are assigned to the six most capable ponies, or in your case, changelings, in all of Equestria who can defend from a disaster that the Elements of Harmony would not be able to defeat. These are not physical objects, these are traits that only come to those who deserve it. You proved yourself with all you've been through earning you the Ultimelement of Determination. You were able to endure unnatural amounts of damage because of your possession of the Ultimelement. The black liquid that Papillon was referring to is Nightmare Fuel, which causes mutation and merciless wrath in those who get it into their system. The creatures that she mentioned..... even I am not sure." She put the book away and walked back the the other princesses, signaling for Echo to follow. Princess Papillon thanked them for freeing her from herself as they sent Echo and Fleur on their way. "Sister.." Luna turned to Celestia and asked, "what if we need them again? And what of the other Elements?" "The Elements will discover themselves, in due time. They will be there to defend Equestria. Because that is what heroes do." .................................................................................................................................................................................................... Echo no longer needed to live in the hotel and stayed with Fleur in her luxury apartment suite. He still worked at the hotel, however. Echo also no longer needed to be disguised a pony anymore, since everypony now knew he was a changeling and there was no longer a boycott against his kind. As they were enjoying one of their first real dinner dates as a couple in the apartment, Echo asked Fleur casually, "So... you're okay with me being a changeling? You... don't think I'm ugly?" "I'm more than okay with you being a changeling, and of course not," Fleur replied happily, "In fact, you're looking particularly handsome...tonight..." She got a seductive look in her eye, making Echo blush heavily. She got up from the table in their dining room and headed towards the bedroom, winking at him before she disappeared behind the door. Echo ran in after her, shutting the door behind him. THE END Echo and Fleur will return in "The Grimdark Saga"
